The changing meaning of eating out in three English cities 1995–2015

This paper examines aspects of the experience of eating out in 2015 and its change over time. In 2015 we repeated an earlier study of eating out in three cities in England in with similar coverage of topics and mostly with identically worded questions, and conducted follow-up in-depth interviews with some of the respondents. We focus on the changing reasons and meanings of the activity as breadth of experience in the population augments and eating main meals outside the home becomes less exceptional or special. What we call ‘ordinary’ events have become more prevalent, and we delineate two forms of ‘ordinary’ occasions; the ‘impromptu’ and the ‘regularised’. We describe the consequences for popular understanding of the social significance of eating out in 2015, its informalisation and normalisation. •In 2015 we repeated an earlier survey of eating out in three English cities and conducted follow-up in-depth interviews with some of the respondents.•Comparison across survey years indicates some significant changes portending informalisation and simplification of eating out in restaurants.•What we call ‘ordinary’ events have become more prevalent, and we delineate two forms; the ‘impromptu’ and the ‘regularised’.•The informalisation and normalisation of eating out signals the shifting purpose and meaning of meals out of the home for some English households.